## **Burntwood Be A Friend** St Anne’s Church, Chasetown, Burntwood WS7 3QL ## **Trustees Annual Report for year ending 30th September 2024** Burntwood Be A Friend is a CIO established in September 2022, charity registration number **1200409.** Its address is St Annes Church, Church Street, Burntwood, WS7 3QL. It has a Board of Trustees who are its only members: and for the duration of this reporting period they were… John Binns (Chair until 31 August 2024 then no longer a Trustee) Richard Westwood (Chair from 13 June 2024) Irene Ann Burford Matthew Wallace (Until 25 June 2024) Lynda Gethin Peter Harris (sadly now deceased but a Trustee throughout this reporting period) Laurence Burford (Treasurer Ian Hopkins (From 13 June 2024) Susan Woodward David Whitehouse (From 01 June 2024) Burntwood Be A Friend comprises five members of staff all employed on a part-time basis, plus a full-time recovery worker subcontracted to us through Future Focus at Burton & District Mind. BBAF also has a fantastic team of volunteer helpers who provide support with helping to run the community store, surplus food collections administrative tasks along with whatever else needs doing. There are approximately 29 volunteer helpers as of 30 September 2024. Its charitable purposes are: - Alleviate economic deprivation and food poverty in the area (Community Store - providing free or heavily subsidized weekly shops and signposting support from our advisors) - Reduce isolation & loneliness by promoting positive mental health and wellbeing (e.g. our community gardening group, women's walk, men's walk) - Create a thriving local cohort of volunteers that are empowered to run the charity's activities 1 - Create links with other local organizations for the better of Burntwood and the surrounding areas Due to the changing needs of the community which it servers, in the coming months, the Trustees intend to seek permission from the Charity Commission to change its charitable purposes. To achieve the purposes above, Burntwood Be A Friend set its objectives for the year ending September 2024: to provide a place within Burntwood where people can go if they have lost their way, whether that be financially or emotionally. It has achieved this through: - The continuation of its Community Store – a place where people can do a weekly shop at a greatly reduced cost compared to the price of the supermarkets. - By signposting for relief and to other organizations from the Community Store. - Continuation of the two weekly ‘Wellbeing’ walks, bringing together a group of people to talk casually about life’s everyday issues in a no-pressure environment. - The continuation of the provision of a community garden, which again, provides a group where people can talk casually while learning an important skill that they can take home with them. The Trustees wish to record their thanks to the hard work and industry to the part time staff who have worked with incredible industry and heart throughout the course of this reporting period. Particular thanks are offered to our Charity Manager who has helped to implement so many of the Trustee’s wishes with enthusiasm and commitment. ## **Financial review** During the year we received funding from various sources. The largest amounts were a grant from Lichfield District Council and a donation The Noel Sweeney Foundation. These have allowed us to cover a large amount of our staff and running costs of the Community Store. We also received generous grants from The Community Foundation, Burntwood Town Council and The Coalfields Regeneration Trust. The main areas of expenditure were staff salaries for the 5 part-time staff and the rent and overheads for our community store & office. The accounts for this reporting period have been independently examined and are appended to this Trustees Annual Report. ## **Potential risks and uncertainties** Financial: It is likely that grant-making bodies may re-assess their priorities, and local-authority bodies may face cutbacks in the availability of funds. However, because Burntwood Be A Friend draws on a mix of funding sources, statutory, charity, local and national, it is not anticipated that there will be a large cut in income. The Trustee board regularly checks exposure to different funding streams to ensure that there is not over-reliance on any individual source. We have a Reserves Policy which addresses various potential scenarios and provides for a 3-6 month cushion in case of short-term decreases in funding. Operational: BBAF works together with its store landlord, Midland Heart, to ensure that there are no issues over use of the premises. There are staff employed by BBAF on part-time contracts and there is a policy of 2 recruiting internally when possible, perhaps turning volunteers into paid staff, so there is continuity and it is not anticipated that future staffing changes will cause operational issues. Because BBAF works closely with other local groups and charities, it has good standing in the local community and there is little likelihood of its activities being curtailed, because it is clearly meeting local needs. ## **Future plans** - To continue and grow the reach of the Community Store, making sure it gets to the people who need it the most. - To be able to utilize the community garden so that it is not only a community social group, but so that it produces crops that can line the shelves of the Community Store, therefore making us more selfsufficient. - To continue to develop our wellbeing services, to be able to offer something to for everyone. - Developing links with more community groups and using local amenities. - Increasing the number of volunteers, offering training and development to build self-confidence and encourage volunteers to look at paid employment as a future goal. - To amend the Charitable Objects of the charity, so that it can operate more effectively to meet the needs of the people it serves This Trustees’ Annual Report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to CIOs. This report was approved by the Trustees of the charity on 7[th] July 2025 and signed on its behalf by Signed……………………………………………………… Richard Westwood (Chair) Date ….. 07 July 2025….. 3 Burntwood Be A Friend Charity Number 1200409 Income and Expenditure Account For the period 1st October 2023 to 30th September 2024 Unrestricted Restricted Funds Funds Total 2023 Income Donations Community Store Fundraising Grants Burntwood Town Council Spark recharges MIND staff costs Total Receipts 2.868 27,702 3,982 2,868 27,702 3,982 33,525 500 loo 21,623 90,300 3.534 25,394 175 29,636 5.500 3,266 5.209 72,712 33,52S 500 loo 21,623 56,775 33.525 Expènditure Fareshare Store rent Office space room hire Staff wage5 Cleaning Light & heat Telephone and internet Training Kitchen items Insurance Repairs and maintenance Office costs Music licence Uniforms MIND costs Equals card Counselling project Gardening supplie5 Other Total Payments 3,990 4,017 4,360 38,701 702 5,043 552 20 83 1,051 966 179 146 148 18,107 1,950 540 si 3,314 83,920 1,108 1.483 5,098 5,500 4,360 48,335 702 5,043 552 20 83 1,051 966 179 146 148 18,107 1,950 540 si 3,600 5,500 1,870 36,046 1,827 5,445 735 91 42 1,043 30 276 133 iii 4.486 9,634 li 1.864 63,111 800 13.025 4,114 96,945 Net Income I IPaymentsl Balance brought forward Balance carried forward 127,1451 30,891 3.746 20.500 16,6451 30,891 24,246 9,601 21,290 30,891 20.500 Made up of: Current Account Petty cash 24,242 24,246 Slgned on behalf of the trustees: Signature.. Print name.. Date of approval.. Independent examiner's report on the accounts Report to the trusteesl members of Burntwood Be A Friend On accounts for the perlod ended 30th September 2024 Charity no 1200409 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Burntwood Be A Friend for the period ended 3010912024 Responsibilities and basis of report As the charily trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordan￿ with Ihe requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ("Ihe Act'l. Independent examiner's statement I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried oul under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145{5llb) of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have Gome to my attention in Gonnection with the exarnination which gives me cause to believe that in. any material respect= accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination lo which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: Date.. 6th July 2025 Name: Lucy Brown Address: Lucy Brown Bookkeeping and Accountsncy seNi￿s 179 Queen Street Burntwood Staffordshire WS7 4TN Burntwood Be A Friend Charity Number 1200409 Income and Expenditure Account For the period 1st October 2023 to 30th September 2024 Unrestricted Restricted Funds Funds Total 2023 Income Donations Community Store Fundraising Grants Burntwood Town Council Spark recharges MIND staff costs Total Receipts 2.868 27,702 3,982 2,868 27,702 3,982 33,525 500 loo 21,623 90,300 3.534 25,394 175 29,636 5.500 3,266 5.209 72,712 33,52S 500 loo 21,623 56,775 33.525 Expènditure Fareshare Store rent Office space room hire Staff wage5 Cleaning Light & heat Telephone and internet Training Kitchen items Insurance Repairs and maintenance Office costs Music licence Uniforms MIND costs Equals card Counselling project Gardening supplie5 Other Total Payments 3,990 4,017 4,360 38,701 702 5,043 552 20 83 1,051 966 179 146 148 18,107 1,950 540 si 3,314 83,920 1,108 1.483 5,098 5,500 4,360 48,335 702 5,043 552 20 83 1,051 966 179 146 148 18,107 1,950 540 si 3,600 5,500 1,870 36,046 1,827 5,445 735 91 42 1,043 30 276 133 iii 4.486 9,634 li 1.864 63,111 800 13.025 4,114 96,945 Net Income I IPaymentsl Balance brought forward Balance carried forward 127,1451 30,891 3.746 20.500 16,6451 30,891 24,246 9,601 21,290 30,891 20.500 Made up of: Current Account Petty cash 24,242 24,246 Slgned on behalf of the trustees: Signature.. Print name.. Date of approval.. Independent examiner's report on the accounts Report to the trusteesl members of Burntwood Be A Friend On accounts for the perlod ended 30th September 2024 Charity no 1200409 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Burntwood Be A Friend for the period ended 3010912024 Responsibilities and basis of report As the charily trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordan￿ with Ihe requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ("Ihe Act'l. Independent examiner's statement I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried oul under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145{5llb) of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have Gome to my attention in Gonnection with the exarnination which gives me cause to believe that in. any material respect= accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination lo which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: Date.. 6th July 2025 Name: Lucy Brown Address: Lucy Brown Bookkeeping and Accountsncy seNi￿s 179 Queen Street Burntwood Staffordshire WS7 4TN